¿BNP candidate has no hope in Salford says defiant Blears

MAINSTREAM politicians have dismissed the selection of a British National Party candidate from Cumbria to fight a controversial Salford seat as ‘an irrelevance’. Last week, the extreme right wing BNP - which has a white-only membership policy - announced that Tina Wingfield will contest the Salford and Eccles seat, held by former Labour minister Hazel Blears, at next year’s general election.

MAINSTREAM politicians have dismissed the selection of a British National Party candidate from Cumbria to fight a controversial Salford seat as ‘an irrelevance’.

Last week, the extreme right wing BNP - which has a white-only membership policy - announced that Tina Wingfield will contest the Salford and Eccles seat, held by former Labour minister Hazel Blears, at next year’s general election.

Ms Wingfield, 42, is the PA to BNP party leader Nick Griffin.

Rival candidates say Ms Wingfield will not win. Mrs Blears said: “As far as I know, Tina Wingfield is based in Cumbria. I think it’s really

important that Salford is represented by a Salford person who knows and understands the

issues here.”

Coun Norman Owen, the Liberal Democrat candidate in Salford, said: “I’m not worried about the BNP candidate at all.

“The party are an irrelevance at this election — it is a two-horse race between myself and Hazel Blears.”